Phosphorus-reduction regulations released

The Baker administration today released regulations promulgated under a state law that restricts the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, a measure expected to help cities and towns comply with federal stormwater regulations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered municipalities, treatment plants, businesses and other large producers of wastewater to reduce the amount of phosphorus being discharged into rivers, lakes and streams by as much as 65 percent. The EPA has estimated that restricting phosphorus in fertilizers could save Massachusetts communities an estimated $180 million per year in avoided treatment costs.

Phosphorus in fertilizers contributes to algae blooms in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.

In its proposed Massachusetts stormwater permit, the EPA included a credit of up to 15 percent to communities for phosphorus-reduction efforts, once the state regulations were promulgated. A key possible outcome is that cities and towns would not be required to build treatment plants to remove phosphorus from stormwater.

The state law restricting the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers was enacted last August, but the regulations have been stuck in a “regulatory pause.” At the May 12 meeting of the Local Government Advisory Commission, Norwell Selectman Ellen Allen asked the Baker administration to finalize the regulations.

“We are asking that these regulations be implemented as quickly as possible to reduce the burden placed on communities to clean up needless phosphorus runoff from lawn fertilizer,” she said.

The MMA has worked with numerous agencies and organizations, including the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the 495/MetroWest Partnership, the Nature Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Waterworks Association to advocate for the new regulations.

The regulations for non-agricultural lands are effective immediately. For agricultural uses, the regulations will take effect in six months in order to allow the Department of Agricultural Resources to provide educational and technical assistance to agricultural operations.

Additional state regulations were promulgated for plant nutrients applied on agricultural lands to ensure that the nutrients are properly applied to minimize the impacts on water resources and protect human health.

• Download Final Plant Nutrient Management Regulations (164K PDF)